Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Conference on ECtHR and ECJ

Oxford Brookes University is organising a conference on Europe's two main Courts: the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice. The conference will be held on 18 January and is entitled 'Fundamental Rights In Europe: A Matter For Two Courts'. This is the description:

The aim of this workshop is to bring together scholars, judges and policy makers to discuss the legal framework for the protection of fundamental rights in Europe. This event will reflect on the relationship between the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) in Luxembourg and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg. It will examine the current state of accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and consider the legal implications of the accession for the protection of the fundamental rights of EU and non-EU citizens. It will explore this theme from a number of different angles and as such it is divided into four main streams: employment rights, citizenship and migration, fundamental rights versus fundamental freedoms and access to justice.

The following themes will be explored:

a. Overview of the EU law and policy aiming at legal integration based on rights;

b. Analysis of legal implication s of the EU Charter, the EU accession agreement and the ECRH in relation to: employment law, citizenship and migration and trade in Europe; analysis of the ECHR and ECJ case law in the respective areas;

c. Evaluation of the relationship between the ECJ and the ECtHR and their mechanisms;

d. Examination of the interplay between EU, ECHR and national level: the extent to which the EU/ECHR fundamental rights’ caveat sits with simultaneous developments in strategies/law and policies at national levels;

e. Analysis of the effects/ impacts of the different laws/policies on the lives of EU citizens/residents, and the potential discrepancy between formal rights and the actual ability of people to enjoy these;

f. Legal implication in relation to the EU Draft Accession Agreement to the ECHR

The morning plenary session will be followed by four parallel afternoon sessions and a final round table.

Speakers include:

■ Mr Niilo Jaaskinen, Court of Justice of the European Union (Advocate General)

■ Ms Kristi Raba, Council of the European Union

■ Mr Joerg Polakiewicz, Human Rights Law and Policy Division, Council of Europe